English 10A: Unit 3

English 10A: Unit 3

“The Sun Parlor” by Dorothy West, pp. 488-497

Name______Hour ______Date______

Writing About the Big Question

The Big Question: What kind of knowledge changes our lives?

Big Question Vocabulary

adapt awareness empathy enlighten evolve

growth history ignorance influence insight

modified question reflect revise understanding

A. Use one or more words from the list above to complete each sentence.

1. Sometimes it takes years to develop ______intoour actions and

to understand why we behaved the way we did.

2. Our self-interest can ______how we treat others.

3. After the death of a beloved family member, people often ______

on their relationship with that person.

B. Follow the directions in responding to each of the items below.

1. List two different times that you acquired important self-knowledge.

______

2. Choose one piece of knowledge you listed and explain whether it changed your life.

Use at least two of the Big Question vocabulary words.

______

C. Complete the sentence below. Then, write a short paragraph in which you connect this

experience to the big question.

When you gain insight through your mistreatment of others, you often feel ______

______

Vocabulary Builder

Word List (p. 488)

cajoling convalesce lavished rejuvenation subordinate succinct

A. DIRECTIONS: Think about the meaning of the italicized word in each item below. Then,

answer the question and explain your answer.

1. If the director of a school play lavished praise on his cast and crew after opening night, didthe performance go well or did it go poorly?

______

2. Is a coach subordinate to his team?

______

3. Would having an argument with your best friend bring a sense of rejuvenation?

______

4. Which person would be more likely to experience cajoling in her job: an actress or a

firefighter?

______

5. If a family member must convalesce for a month after being ill, did she have a severe case

of the flu or a mild cold?

______

6. If you gave a succinct answer to your father, were you speaking for a long time or did you

say just a few words?

______

B. WORD STUDY (p. 497) : The Latin prefix suc- means “under” or “less or lower than.” Answer each ofthe following questions using one of these words containing suc-: succor, succumb,successor.

1. Why would a person give succor to someone who was hurt?

______

2. What will you be doing if you succumb to the temptation of chocolate cake?

______

3. Why might the successor to the team captain be unsure of herself?

______

Grammar

Subject Complements: Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives (p. 508)

Predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives are subject complements. They appear after alinking verb and tell something about the subject of the sentence. A predicate nominative is a

noun or pronoun that appears with a linking verb and renames, identifies, or explains thesubject of the sentence. A subject and a predicate nominative are two different words for thesameperson, place, or thing. The linking verb joins them and equates them. A predicateadjective is an adjective that appears with a linking verb and describes the subject of thesentence.

Examples: Dorothy West’s special room is her sun parlor. (Parlor is a predicate nominative,

which renames the subject, room.)

Books are fascinating to Rudolfo Anaya. (Fascinating is a predicate adjective,

which describes the subject, books.)

A. PRACTICE: The following sentences are based on “The Sun Parlor” or the excerpt from In

Commemoration: One Million Volumes. Underline each predicate nominative or predicate

adjective and write PN or PA on the line before each sentence.

______1. Sis was a young girl who wanted to play in West’s sun parlor.

______2. West seemed sad and regretful that she did not allow Sis to play in the room.

______3. The author and her brothers and sisters were obedient children.

______4. Libraries are Anaya’s refuge.

______5. To Anaya, books are exciting and uplifting.

______6. Anaya, a writer, is an intelligent and thoughtful man.

B. Writing Application: Write a paragraph of at least five sentences responding to what you do during a long school break.Use at least five subjectcomplements in your paragraph. Underline each predicate nominative once and each predicateadjective twice.

______

Literary Analysis: Reflective Essay

A reflective essay is a brief nonfiction work in which a writer presents the experiences thatshaped or inspired his or her thoughts on a topic. In a reflective essay, a writer draws on anevent, a time period, or an idea from his or her own life and experience. The writer weaves aconnection between personal experience and a point of general interest, such as a lesson aboutlife. The writer’s reflections focus on a specific object, scene, occasion, place, or idea.

Dorothy West shares a personal experience and its meaning in her reflective essay “The Sun

Parlor.” West’s unique perceptions and understanding of her own experience lead her to create a

new experience for her readers. It is a writer’s individual perspective that makes reflectivewriting engaging and fresh, even when the topic is a familiar one.

DIRECTIONS: Refer to “The Sun Parlor” to answer the following questions.

1. What lesson about life does West wish to share with her readers in “The Sun Parlor”?

______

2. What event does West say she regrets? Why do you think this event stayed in her mind forso many years?

______

3. What is unique about the way West shares the events of “The Sun Parlor” with her readers?

______

4. At the end of the essay, West asks Sis if her mother ever let her play in the sun parlor whenWest was not there. However, she does not want to hear the answer and states that it isenough for her that Sis listened. Why do you think West feels this way? How would you feelin the same situation?

______

Reading: Ask Questions to Analyze Main

Ideas and Supporting Details

To fully understand an essay, you must analyze main ideas and supporting details. To do

this, note each main point the writer makes. Then, identify the ideas or facts that explain orillustrate it. To help you analyze, ask questions as you read. Ask yourself what the topic of the

passage is, what main point is being made, and which details support the point.

A. DIRECTIONS: Ask yourself the following questions as you read “The Sun Parlor.” Then, recordyour answers on the lines below each question.

1. What is the topic of the essay?

______

2. What is the main point being made?

______

3. Which details support this point?

______

B. DIRECTIONS: On the following lines, summarize “The Sun Parlor.” Use your answers to the

previous questions to help you write your summary.

______

Grade 10, Unit 3